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EVE Vegas 2014 roundup: Tech 3 destroyers, permadeath and more
An event that started out several years ago as an impromptu EVE Online player gathering, EVE Vegas has grown so large that this year it was was officially taken over by developer CCP Games. This year's event was organised like a mini-Fanfest, with Executive Producer Andie Nordgren's keynote address and some interesting talks from both players and developers. Players got a chance to compare notes with developers on the game's recent progress, CCP let out a few exciting reveals, and the whole event was streamed live to viewers at home for free. This year's big reveal was a new tech 3 Tactical Destroyer ship class that can transform into one of several tactical configurations mid-fight to boost power to the engines, shields, or weapons as required. We also heard rumblings of new "glass cannon" weapons that deal increased damage but lower your ship's damage resistances, and CCP tested the public response to the controversial idea of adding permadeath characters to EVE. Player talks were equally informative, giving insights into the world of nullsec Fleet Command and the custom Region Commander software that the game's biggest coalitions use to maintain their grip on power. If you missed out on the event, read on for links to Massively's coverage of the stream or to watch the stream recordings for yourself.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The fight to save City of Heroes
City of Heroes fans took to the streets on Saturday. Specifically, they took to the streets of Atlas Park, running a massive in-game protest against the game's cancellation. I'm going to assume that you were there if you're reading this column, as I certainly was, and I got quite a number of screenshots of the whole protest part of the event. If you missed it, we've got video. I didn't stick around for the costume contest, mostly because it turns out I didn't have a slot for Melissa Bianco with a crab backpack. The protest was the brainchild of TonyV, who is also the organizer behind the entire movement to save City of Heroes via a special message board dedicated to keeping the community organized. And considering what I've said in the past regarding other games that have shut down, you probably knew I would have something to say about this movement. It's something I support, but there's more nuance to it than just that. So let's talk about the fight to save the city.
City of Heroes sets the date for the next Freedom Player Summit
Did you miss the first City of Heroes player summit? It's understandable -- no matter how much of a fan you might be, a trip to California in November is hard to swing sometimes with the holidays fast approaching. But perhaps you'll have better luck in April, as that's the announced month for the second Freedom Player Summit taking place (once again) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Specifically, the summit is planned for Saturday, April 28th, 2012. It's also quite possible, of course, that you did attend the first summit and found certain areas of the event to be sorely lacking. That's something that the staff at Paragon Studios is looking at very seriously; it's made a change to a single panel track rather than multiples and will host more interactive panels instead of static ones. Keep an eye over the next few weeks for more details on pricing and location if you're interested in going; for fans of the game, it's a great chance to get your feedback heard in person.
Paragon Studios hosting one more meeting for City of Heroes fans
While the convention season has come to a close for the year, the team at Paragon Studios isn't quite done with spending time with the fans of City of Heroes just yet. It's hosting one more party for both the developers and the fans, this last one taking place in San Francisco. And as with previous meetings, the team has arranged a treat for fans, this one in the form of a new costume power allowing players to take on the appearance of a Freakshow Meat Doctor. Having the opportunity to look like one of the slightly less-than-good doctors is special enough, but the meeting also promises to be unique in other ways, making use of the venue's large amount of space for presentations as well as socializing. Players in the San Francisco area should take a look at the full details and start making plans to meet the City of Heroes developers, as well as scaring anyone not fond of meat-doctoring.
EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights
The biggest player gathering of the year for EVE Online fans is EVE Fanfest, held annually in the CCP Games hometown of Reykjavik. Some interesting announcements of what's to come have been made over the past few days, as well as more details or clarification on previously announced aspects of both EVE Online and DUST 514. Read on for a few highlights of the info revealed at EVE Fanfest 2009 for the game and the IP beyond the Dominion expansion (slated for a December 1st launch):
EVE Fanfest PvP tournament to have free-for-all and Tech III matches
The Drone Bay podcast returned recently with an EVE Online Fanfest preview. The podcast's hosts Crovan and Alsedrech got air time with EVE developers CCP Tyr and CCP Claw, as well as StevieSG from EVE TV. In addition to dropping more info about the sixth annual Fanfest and some of the options players will have for excursions in Iceland beyond the player gathering itself (which will be October 1 - 3), they discuss the Fanfest PvP tournament. The Fanfest PvP tournament is a major draw to the event. The Fanfest tournament differs from the Alliance PvP Tournament (which will be held earlier in the year, in September) in some noticeable ways. Where the Alliance tournament is taken very seriously by most competitors who spend weeks in preparation -- after all, a substantial part of the game's playerbase are watching or listening to the event live -- the Fanfest PvP tournament is meant to allow for more impromptu, spontaneous match-ups. Indeed, some winning teams at the Fanfest tournament were comprised of virtual strangers who joined up at the last minute, and the rules can lead to some... unusual scenarios. In keeping with this spirit of mixing it up, CCP has decided to hold free-for-all PvP matches at Fanfest 2009.
EVE Online Fanfest 2009 dates and travel packages announced
The annual EVE Fanfest is the largest player gathering of the year for fans of the sci-fi MMO. It's held annually in Reykjavik, Iceland, the home of CCP Games, and is a major event for die-hard fans of the game. EVE Online dev CCP Tyr announced the sixth annual 'Party at the Top of the World' this week: "It is time once again to start marking your calendars and making your reservations for the 2009 Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland! Get ready for another weekend of PvP tournaments, hanging out with the developers, and partying in a sea of fellow EVE Online fans. As always, Fanfest attendees will be treated to videos and announcements on the future of EVE and what players can expect in the upcoming expansions." Rather than holding it in November as in all previous years, they've moved up this year's Fanfest dates to October 1- 3, when the weather should hopefully be a bit warmer. CCP Games has worked with Icelandair to put together airfare and hotel travel packages by country, the details of which can be found on the EVE Fanfest 2009 announcement page. For a peek at what EVE Fanfest is like, we've got a video embed of the Fanfest 2009 teaser trailer:
EVE developers to hold a meet and greet in Las Vegas
The major player gathering for EVE Online players is Fanfest, which is held in Reykjavik each year. However, the fact is many players can't make the trip to Iceland, and a number of North American players have hoped for an event that's more accessible to them. It looks like this is going to happen, and what's more accessible than Las Vegas? (Bonus: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.")The 2009 EVE Developers Meet and Greet in Las Vegas was mentioned very briefly during the recent (and excellent) Alliance PvP Tournament, but more info is available now. EVE Vegas is a two-day event that will be held on May 8th and 9th at the Imperial Palace (on the Strip). It kicks off on a Friday with the Meet and Greet, followed up by a conference on Saturday.
EVE Fanfest 2008 dates and travel packages announced
EVE Online fans, rejoice! CCP Games has announced details about Fanfest, as well as the travel packages they've arranged. For those who've never heard of the EVE Fanfest, for the past four years CCP has put out this call to all pilots: Join us at the top of the world for the ultimate party: the EVE Fanfest, held in our hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland. This is the best experience of EVE Online: your chance to meet the people behind the avatars in person, including friends and foes alike from the battlefield, plus the CCP Devs. Catch an inside glimpse of what's in store for EVE; participate in live PVP and CCG tournaments versus other pilots; and, if you dare, venture out into the world-renowned Reykjavik nightlife afterwards!If there's one thing CCP knows how to do right, beyond that whole 'internet spaceships thing', it's throwing a party. EVE Fanfest 2008 will be on November 6-8 at Laugardalur in the heart of Reykjavik, and will be the fifth annual event hosted by CCP. Fanfest is clearly a big deal to the Icelandic game developers, as they've made arrangements for airfare and hotel travel packages for fans wishing to make the journey north. At present, they've announced three 'early bird' travel packages through Icelandair for Germany, Holland, and the U.S.; more packages for other countries are in the works and will be announced at the official EVE Online site as details become available. Note that the offer for Germany ends on June 15. Read on for the full details about the U.S.-Iceland travel package.
